Nintendo is launching its Virtual Boy- Nintendo Classics digital library for the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service later this month, and the previews are now in.

First up are our own impressions from Nintendo Life staff writer Ollie Reynolds:

"It’s no secret that the Virtual Boy failed spectacularly when it originally launched back in 1995. As such, you might be under the impression that its games just aren’t very good. Well, not so! Virtual Boy Wario Land is an incredible 2D platformer that makes spectacular use of perspective, while Red Alarm is a solid wireframe shoot-em-up with clear Star Fox inspirations.

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"I wasn’t able to try Zero Racers or D-Hopper, since neither of them will be available at launch. But the sheer fact that both will be fully playable for the first time ever is reason enough to celebrate. What a time to be alive."

So, what did other critics have to say about it? Here's the rundown:

Vooks: "The Cardboard VB requires you to hold the unit to your face, offering the more comfortable option of playing the games... The plastic VB recreation is more impressive. It’s as close as you’re going to get to play a VB unit without forking out the even bigger bucks for a real VB. Playing this way means you can have a more comfortable control set up. This is the only comfortable part of the VB though. It was difficult to get to a good or realistic height on the unit where I wasn’t hunched over and having to push my face against the VB. It will be good to get some longer time with the VB once it is released, even just to have a quick dip into some Nintendo history."

Mashable: "The most vital aspect of all of this: after just a few minutes, my eyes and neck began to hurt and I had to back away. I got the same feeling of being disconnected from the physical world around me and needing to re-integrate with it as soon as I was done that I normally get from using modern VR headsets. We've come so far in terms of VR tech, but for me that sense of dislocation hasn't changed at all."

DualShockers: "I... walked away a believer in these games, even with the understanding that 30 years ago, they didn't move the needle enough for mass adoption. Maybe I'm just a sucker for retro, arcade-y titles as I continue to age into my thirties, but I also know I won't at all be alone in this sentiment. If retro titles are your jam, there's a lot to have a good time with here."

CGMagazine: "Wario Land... showed the most promise of the launch titles—just as it was arguably the most in-depth game on the Virtual Boy in its own time. Hopping between the 3D planes became more than a gimmick, as swinging hazards immediately illustrate; this is a legitimate platformer and a decent successor to the Game Boy games, and you’ll need to learn to pay attention to multiple planes to survive and thrive."

IGN: "I only played for about 20 minutes, but I thankfully didn’t get a headache like the original hardware’s reputation would suggest. I’m honestly not sure how long I’ll play in one sitting when my own Virtual Boy preorder shows up in a couple weeks, because even though Wario Land was fun, it’s still kind of a pain to play. The edges of the screen were tough to see when looking in the unit, and it’s not the most comfortable feeling to crane your neck to look inside. At least it’s that authentic neck pain I’ve always wanted, though."

Game Informer: "People speak so poorly of the 1995 model that I fully expected to immediately reject the Switch 2 version, but I came away mildly impressed. When the baseline expectation is "headache, neck pain, and nausea" but the actual experience is "huh, pretty neat," I think it's fair to say this exceeded my expectations. It's far from a perfect device, but it very well may be the best way to revisit Nintendo's worst console."

Will you be checking out Virtual Boy on the Switch Online service when it launches on 17th February 2026? Let us know in the comments.